New Forest attractions

- the main things to see and do within the
National Park

Apart from the natural New Forest
attractions, there is also a good variety of places such as museums and
historical buildings to see, spread throughout the National Park area.

This page lists the main attractions
found in and around the New Forest (both natural and
otherwise) along with the relevant opening times, admission
prices (where appropriate) and brief summary of
the attraction.

For further information on any of the New Forest attractions
listed below, use the links provided to either learn more about that
particular attraction through this website or to visit the official
site.

The attractions are listed in alphabetical order, not
importance or size!

Beaulieu

Opening times:

10.00am - 6.00pm - 23th May to 28th September

10.00am - 5.00pm - 29th September to 22th May

Closed Christmas Day

Admission prices: On the day / online in advance

Adult: £24.00 / £18.00

Child: 5-17 yrs £12.00 / £9.00

Under 5's: Free

Family £64.00 / £48.00

Concessions available

Location: Towards the
south-eastern corner of The New Forest, around 15 minutes drive from
Lyndhurst centre.Telephone: 01590 612345Remarks: The area's premier attraction.
Admission tickets include access to 3 places - the world famous
Beaulieu Motor Museum, the Palace House and the Abbey. A full day out
and shouldn't be missed.

Location: 2 miles south of
Beaulieu on the edge of the Beaulieu River.Telephone: 01590 612624Remarks: Historic 18th century village and
shipbuilding yard on the edge of Beaulieu River. Cruises and guided
walks available. A nice place to spend half a day.

Calshot Activity Centre

Opening times:

All day every day, times vary depending on the activity

Admission prices:

No admission fee into the centre, but each activity has its
own cost

Location: Calshot Spit, Fawley,
in the eastern most point of the New Forest National Park.Telephone: 02380 892077 Remarks: Worth looking at if you're in the
area for a while and are interested in activity courses, particularly
watersport based ones. Centre also features an indoor cycle track,
artificial (Snowflex) ski slope and rock-climbing wall.

Location: Exbury ,south-eastern
corner of the National Park, 3 miles south-east of Beaulieu towards
Lepe Country Park.Telephone: 02380 891203 Remarks: Excellent public gardens on the
edge of the Beaulieu River. Miniature railway within the grounds. Allow
a good half day for a relaxing visit.

Location: Minstead, best found
from the westbound A31 (turn at Malwood Hill) or from the A337
Cadnam-Lyndhurst road.Telephone: 02380 812464 Remarks: Small but very worthwhile public
gardens set in the heart of the rural New Forest. Allow a good half day
for a relaxed visit.

Location: Hurst Castle Spit, the
southernmost point of the New Forest National Park.Telephone: 01590 642344Remarks: A great place for a walk and to
take in some Solent air. Spectacular views of The Solent and Isle Of
Wight, particularly The Needles. A relaxing walk around Hurst Castle
Museum will take around an hour. If you don't fancy the long walk along
the spit, there is a short ferry crossing to the museum from Keyhaven.

Liberty's Reptile and Raptor Centre

Opening times:

10am - 5pm March to October

10am - 4pm Weekends only from November-February

Admission prices:

Adults £8.95

Children 5-15yrs £5.95

Family (2+2) £27.50

Senior citizens £7.95

Location: Crow Lane, Ringwood.Telephone: 01425 476487Remarks: The best place in the National
Park to see birds of prey, owls, snakes, lizards and more. Talks and
displays of falconry are held daily throughout the day, so you should
be able to catch at least one of these. Allow a couple of hours, more
to take in some of the shows.

Location: Deerleap Lane,
Longdown, off the A35 towards Southampton from Ashurst.Telephone: 023 8029 2837Remarks: A perfect attraction for a family
with younger children. A working farm that allows 'hands-on'
activities. Caters for birthday parties and there is also a farm shop
on the premises. Allow at least half a day.

New Forest Museum

Opening times:

10am - 5pm, 7 days a week

Closed over Christmas

Admission prices:

Adult £4.00

Concessions (children, seniors, students) £3.00

Accompanied 16 year olds and under go free

Location: At the eastern end of
the main car park in Lyndhurst (the car
park is straight off Lyndhurst High Street).Telephone: 02380 283444Remarks: A great place to start your New
Forest visit is this official Museum and Visitor Centre. Includes
detailed Forest information, picture gallery, library and gift shop.
Allow an hour.

Location: Ower, on the
Southampton-side edge of the National Park boundary. Easiest access is
from Junction 2 of the M27 motorway.Telephone: 02380 814442Remarks: The area's only major Theme Park.
Admission includes access to a good mix of over 50 rides and
attractions, all in a very pleasant garden setting. Get there for
'gates open' if you want to see it all, but busy times might force you
to return on a 'second day' pass.

St. Barbe Museum explores the unique history of Lymington and
the New Forest Coast.
The colourful, hands-on displays provide a fascinating journey of
discovery for all ages, charting Lymington's development as a market
town and port and looking at the smugglers, salt makers and boat
builders who have used the Solent shore.
The art galleries host an exclusive programme of exhibitions that
regularly include works on loan from national and regional collections.
St. Barbe Museum is an independent organisation governed by Lymington
Museum Trust, a registered charity (no.1018779). Since opening in its
finished form in 1999, it has acquired a reputation as one of the
finest museums and art galleries in the region.
Visit our website or give us a call today to find out more about us and
our program of family friendly events!.

Other New Forest attractions & places of interest
within the National Park

Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary

Location: Approximately 3 miles west of
Lyndhurst at the northern end of the Bolderwood Ornamental Drive.Remarks: About the most popular of the free
New Forest attractions. A very pleasant area with graded walks through
the giant Redwood trees. Viewing platforms overlook the fenced areas
where a number of fallow deer are kept. Rangers feed the deer at a time
ranging between noon and 3pm everyday (no fixed time), but deer
sightings aren't guaranteed.
Further information:Read more about
Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary.

Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive

Location: Runs from the A35 to Bolderwood
Deer Sanctuary. Access from the A35 is 2 miles from Lyndhurst.
Remarks: A scenic drive on a fairly narrow
tree-lined road that can get rather crowded during the summer months. A
nice road to cycle on and there are several car parks and walks along
the way. Continues into Rhinefield Ornamental Drive across the A35.

Bolton's Bench

Location: Eastern side of Lyndhurst.
Remarks: A small sized but major New
Forest attraction. Open grassy lawns and the proximity to Lyndhurst
town centre make Bolton's Bench a popular place to come and relax.
Further information:Read more about
Bolton's Bench.

Knightwood Oak

Location: At the southern end of
Bolderwood Arboretum Ornamental Drive. The car park is on the right,
very soon after turning off the A35.
Remarks: The largest oak in the New Forest
and probably the oldest, thought to be around 400 years old. The tree
is now fenced off from the public, but it's a pleasant spot for a walk
and worth seeing if you find yourself on the Ornamental Drive.
Further information:Read more about
the Knightwood Oak.

Lepe Country Park

Location: Lepe, adjoining Calshot Spit on
the south-eastern coastline of the National Park.Remarks: The most popular of the coastal
New Forest attractions, Lepe is a pleasant place to relax and take in
excellent views of the Solent and Isle Of Wight. The main park area is
open grass, fronted by a long shingle beach with cafeteria and small
information centre.
Free to visit other than the normal car parking charges.
Further information:Read more about Lepe Country
Park.

New Forest Reptile Centre

Location: Approximately 2 miles west of
Lyndhurst at Holidays Hill, on the A35.
Remarks: A small but very worthwhile
attraction where you can see all species of the snakes, lizards, frogs
and toads that can be found in the Forest. The animals are in open-air
pens and it's best to go on a warm day, when there's more chance of the
animals basking in the sun.Further information:Read
more about the New Forest Reptile Centre

Rhinefield Ornamental Drive

Location: Runs from the A35 to
Brockenhurst. Access from the A35 is 2 miles from Lyndhurst.
Remarks: Passes Rhinefield House Hotel and
is best seen in May/June when the huge rhododendron bushes are in
flower. Access to Rhinefield Arboretum with several nice walks.
Further information:Read
more about Rhinefield Ornamental Drive.

Rufus Stone

Location: Canterton Glen, just off the A31
eastbound before Junction 1 of the M27 motorway.
Remarks: A stone marking the spot where
King William (Rufus) II was killed by an arrow in 1100AD, either
accidentally or otherwise. The pub 100 metres away takes its name from
the nobleman who allegedly shot the arrow, Sir Walter Tyrell.
Further information:Read more about the
Rufus Stone.